Find The Platform For Your Runway

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Over 50 years ago, a young man walked away from a tremendous job to pursue a new opportunity. He knew, subconsciously at least, that he had to leave a good thing to go onto greater things.

should I stay or should I go?

The company was a magazine called Esquire , the man was named Hugh Hefner, and legend has it that he asked for a five dollar raise and was refused. At the same time, Esquire had decided to leave Chicago to set up base in New York City. The 28-year-old Hefner, a Chicago native, decided to stay back in his hometown. In this sense, his decision to leave his position was in actuality a decision to stay. Hefner decided to start his own magazine. He put Marilyn Monroe on the cover, left it undated and baptized the publication Play..boy . With that began the meteoric rise of the man known today simply as Hef.

risk-taking

Mr. Hefner's rise to the top, realized in Play..boy 's ascent to supremacy over competing magazines like Esquire , could be attributed to a number of factors: changes in American society, shifting consumer tastes, the publication's presentation of an alternate choice of content (not to mention the nudity), and, in all likelihood, some luck. Whatever the reasons, Hef's story underscores the fact that risk-taking is an important part of the recipe for success. But remember that risk-taking is a two-sided coin. It can bring reward, but it can also spur failure and catastrophe.

clear the runway

Enter another icon of American culture: Jack Welch. Far from a failure or catastrophe, Jack Welch was one of the top managers of the 20th century. His concept of "the runway of a person" was a central motif in his book, Straight From the Gut . The concept encompassed the idea that the value of an employee is not measured simply by their present capabilities, but also by the upside potential that they have to offer. The greater the "runway," or potential for achieving future success, the greater the value. Hefner's runway was so long, it could be argued, that he had to change the environment he was in to move on to a venue that would better accommodate his potential. In other words, he had to move on to greater things.

Your potential won't be realized unless you have the right platform...